Daniel Alfredsson Signs 1-Year Deal with Detroit Red Wings

Daniel Alfredsson spent 17 fruitful seasons with the Ottawa Senators and he established himself as one of the greatest Swedish players in NHL history in that time. It seemed unlikely that Alfredsson would ever put on another sweater, but the 40-year-old winger has signed with the Detroit Red Wings.

UPDATE: Friday, July 5, at 4:30 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

Yahoo! Sports' Nick Cotsonika provided a quote from Alfredsson:

Alfredsson: "It pretty much came down to a selfish decision in terms of I have not won a Stanley Cup, a big priority for me."

This move comes as a surprise to many, as the general consensus seemed to be that Alfredsson would either re-sign with the Sens or retire. Perhaps the allure of winning a championship led Alfredsson away from Ottawa, though, as hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup is essentially the only thing he has yet to accomplish.

Is Alfredsson making the right decision?

Yes, he is giving himself a chance to win the Stanley CupNo, he shouldn't turn his back on the SenatorsSubmit Votevote to see results

Is Alfredsson making the right decision?

Yes, he is giving himself a chance to win the Stanley Cup

80.8%

No, he shouldn't turn his back on the Senators

19.2%

Total votes: 3,271

Aside from that missing accolade, Alfredsson's resume is incredibly impressive. He served as the Senators' captain and helped lead them to the Stanley Cup Final back in 2006-07. Alfredsson has also had a great deal of regular-season success, with career totals of 426 goals and 682 assists.

Alfredsson is a six-time All-Star and won an Olympic gold medal with Sweden in 2006.

Alfredsson's move to Detroit is even more interesting when taking the divisional realignment into account. The Red Wings will be making the jump from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference and will be in the same division as Ottawa.

Seeing Alfredsson in the red and white of the Red Wings rather than the red and white of the Senators will likely be surreal for many Ottawa fans, and it will be interesting to see what type of reception he is greeted with when he returns to Canadian Tire Centre.